Festival of Colors
by albinotanuki
Summary: Oneshot. Once a year, the Festival of Colors is celebrated. Everyone enjoys celebratingEveryone except Toph & a friend she meets on the streets.


Okay, this story isn't as good as most of the fics I've written in the past. I'll admit; I'm WAY out of practice. Anyways, I loosely based this story on the Hindu festival of Holi. Anyways, read on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar; just this story.

* * *

You'd think that having limited time to prepare to confront the Fire Lord that our friends would be traveling at this time. Well on this day, they've decided to take a break from traveling, because today was the Festival of Colors.

It was said that a long time ago that a prince once fell in love with a woman who was completely colorless & because he loved her so much, that when they got married, the prince threw colored ash onto her so that she would look beautiful on their wedding day. Now people both young & old celebrate this festival by putting up colorful decorations & throw colorful powder at each other.

Once Aang came back with some powders he bought, heshared some with everyone to throw & then blew some of his own at the rest of the gang.

"COLOR FIGHT!"

Powder was thrown everywhere & everything looked like a big canvas of blotched paint. Aang was all covered in powder while Sokka was trying to defend his territory with his collection of powders. Katara just like being all colored & looking beautiful as she threw some magenta colored powder on herself; Even Momo & Appa were participating in their own little powder combat. Everyone was joining in & having a great time--everyone, except for Toph, who was lying down on her own little rock couch brooding a bit.

Katara took some notice that Toph wasn't having any fun. So she went over to her.

"Hey Toph, don't you wanna join the fun?"

"As much as I enjoy events where you get to throw dirt at other people, I don't particularly like this holiday if you hadn't already guessed." Toph said as she waved a hand over her clouded eyes.

Katara of course hadn't forgotten Toph was blind & had been since the day she was born, but she still wanted her to have fun.

"Well Toph, this day isn't REALLY all that much about colors."

"Really? Then why do they call it 'The Festival of COLORS'?" Toph said in a frank tone.

"She's got a good point there actually." Aang stated. "People in general DO put a lot of emphasis on colors this day." Of course he then got cut off when Sokka threw a huge quantity of blue at him.

"10 POINTS FOR ME!"

"OH YEAH, HERE COMES A HUGE ORANGE STORM FOR YOU!"

Aang then sent a huge orange powder tornado after the water tribe boy. Toph of course, huffed & cross her legs to say her point was made.

"Oh, they're just being boys, Toph. Don't let them get to you." Katara tried to reassure her. Then something popped into her head & she pulled out a tiny bottle pendant of water. "Toph, I have some water I received from the spirit oasis at the North Pole. Perhaps if I use it to cure your blindness, then maybe--"

It was hearing the word "cure" that angered Toph, so she threw a rock at the pendant Katara was holding & it fell to the ground, breaking into tiny shards & the water leaked out.

"I didn't ask for your pity, Sugar Queen! I maybe blind, but I'm not diseased! Just because you & everyone else can see colors, it doesn't mean you have to rub it into other peoples faces & it's none your business on whether or not I want to be a part of your STUPID LITTLE FESTIVAL!"

She then stomped on the ground making an earth tremor, knocking down the rest of her friends on the ground before stomping off from the group. Everyone, especially Katara, felt guilty & ashamed as she left.

* * *

Toph didn't know where she was going. Though she could sense vibrations through her feet to tell what is in front of her, she didn't really know the area she was in all too well & she didn't seem to care. As she walked on further, she could sense buildings, the running of feet, & the sound of laughter. She didn't have to guess that it was a village that was also celebrating the Festival of Colors. She passed by the people as powder threw this way & that & a few sprinkles got onto Toph's body like watercolors. Toph only sighed in annoyance as she passed though the festive villagers. She then went to hide in an alleyway & leaned up against a wall next to another brooder.

"How come you're not celebrating like all the others?"

"…I don't particularly like festivals in general. They don't give me much joy as they use to." Said the unenthused man.

Toph seemed to have heard his light, yet pain-filled voice, as she never forgets a voice, but she couldn't really recall at that time WHERE she heard it before.

"I hear ya. This festival itself is overrated. I don't see the point in it."

There was a bit of an awkward quietness between the two.

"This was one of the last festivals I've ever celebrated… with my mother."

Toph's head perked up. "What happened?"

"I don't really know. She just disappeared one day & never came back."

"I'm sorry to hear."

"She told me everything she did in the past was for me, but I sometime wonder… if the reason she never came back was because she didn't care about me anymore. Why even bother with celebrating something where you need something you don't have?"

Now normally, Toph would be annoyed when someone would mope about their "sad" lives, but from this young man's tone of voice & the way he was breathing, she could tell his life really was a tragic experience.

"I never really understood why people think only colors are more important to this day than the actual message: love & caring, like how much the prince loved & cared about the colorless girl. True he couldn't make her physically perfect, but he gave her what gift he had to show his affection towards her & make her feel accepted."

She then put a hand on the man's forearm.

"Whatever the reason your mom left you, I don't think its because she didn't love you anymore & if it were so, then you should know someone here cares about you."

The young man looked down at the multicolored blind girl with a smile on his face. Just then, she blew a bit of the powder on the boy. The boy was a bit startled with this. Then Toph smiled

"Just to give a little love to ya."

The boy looked on as Toph left. It was as if this little blind angel had helped him see the light.

* * *

Meanwhile, Toph's friends were looking for her. Finally, Aang spotted her coming back to the camp.

"Where've you been Toph? We were worried about you."

Toph smirked. "Just had a little conversation… with my own Festival of Colors prince…" She knew now whom she had met in the alley, but she'll be keeping that a secret… like she did about the boy's uncle.

* * *

Like I've said, not the best story I've written, but hey its Oneshot. I'm sure you've probably guessed who the myster boy is by now. Anyways, Please R&R


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